This may be the easiest turkey you will ever make
The best part is that with very little effort your going to get a very moist and flavorful bird
How are we going to accomplish this with minimal effort you might ask?
The answer is by brining the turkey
So lets talk about brining
Brining meats and poultry not only adds flavor, it adds much needed moisture. Which you definitely want in a turkey
Lets get the brining liquid cooking first
We have 4 cups of water, 1 cup of kosher salt, 1 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon of black peppercorns
Place all of the ingredients in a sauce pan, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and whisk until the sugar and salt are dissolved, remove from heat and allow to cool completely
Now for the bird
We have about a 7.5 pound turkey breast that I placed in a large pot and covered with 2 gallons of water (or 32 cups)
Add in your completely cooled brining liquid
I like to flip a plate over and lay on top of the bird
This keeps it from bobbing out of the brine
Cover this and let it brine for at least 24 hours (for even more flavor brine for 2 days)
Once your ready to roast the turkey preheat your oven to 350 F
Thoroughly rinse the turkey with cold water to wash off any excess salt from the brine then pat dry with paper towels
Place the turkey breast in a roasting pan with a rack
Pour 2 cups of chicken stock in the bottom of the pan
Click on our link to make Homemade Chicken Stock
We are going to go very simple with the seasonings
Extra virgin olive oil and 2 teaspoons each of kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder
Drizzle olive oil over the skin of the bird and rub it in
Then sprinkle with the seasonings
Place this in the oven and cook for around 2 hours or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 170 F
Our breast came with a handy little timer, but I check with my own thermometer as well just to ensure I don’t over cook the bird
Remove the bird from the oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes
While the bird is resting I’m going to make some gravy
Bring the pan juices to a boil and scrape up any bits from the bottom
Strain the pan juices into a small pot and whisk in 1 tablespoon of Gravy Master. Bring to a simmer
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a separate pot and whisk in 1/4 cup of flour
Allow this to cook until lightly browned
Then whisk it into the pan juices to thicken, then voilà! the gravy is done!
Slice the turkey breast along the rib cage
Remove the breast in a whole piece
Now you can slice the breast crosswise into thin slices
You can see just how juicy the meat is
We served this with some gravy, collard greens and cornbread
Click on our link to make our Collard Greens!
Enjoy!!!
Simply Sundays! ~ Roast Turkey Breast
Ingredients
7.5 pound turkey breast
For the brining liquid
4 cups of water
1 cup of kosher salt
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon of black peppercorns
2 gallons of water
For the turkey
2 cups of chicken stock
extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons each of kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder
For the gravy
2 tablespoons of butter
1/4 cup of flour
1 tablespoon of Gravy Master
Directions
Place 4 cups of water, 1 cup of kosher salt, 1 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon of black peppercorns into a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the salt and sugars have dissolved. Remove from heat, uncover and allow to cool completely
Place the turkey breast in a large pot. Add in 2 gallons of cold water, along with the completely cooled brining liquid. Flip a plate over and lay on top of the bird to keep it from bobbing out of the brine. Cover this and let it brine for at least 24 hours (for even more flavor brine for 2 days)
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Remove the turkey, discard the brining liquid. Rinse the turkey thoroughly under cold water to remove any excess salt. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels and place it on a rack in a roasting pan
Add 2 cups of chicken stock to the bottom of the pan. Drizzle the turkey with extra virgin olive oil and rub it in. Sprinkle the skin of the bird with 2 teaspoons each of kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Place it in the oven and cook for around 2 hours or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 170 F Remove from the oven and let rest at least 10 minutes
Heat the pan juices to a simmer then strain into a small pot along with 1 tablespoon of Gravy Master. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a separate pot and whisk in 1/4 cup of flour. Let this cook until it is lightly browned, then whisk it into the gravy to thicken it
Slice the breast down the rib cage to remove in one whole piece. Cut the breast crosswise into thin slices. Serve with the gravy
Tools used to make this recipe
Calphalon Contemporary Roasting Pan with Rack 5 pc. Set
© Simply Sundays 2016
All rights reserved
Published by